Thyroid and anxiety

Hello. I have only recently discovered there is something out of whack with my thyroid. I have had anxiety and panic for about two years. I now know there is a link between thyroid and anxiety. I wondered if anyone else had experienced anxiety as a result of thyroid health not as a result of mental health. It's made a lot of sense to me now why nothing I have tried for my anxiety has helped (cbt, hypnosis etc) as I was treating it as a mental health issue not a thyroid issue. I would love to hear someone say that when they regained their thyroid health, their anxiety disappeared 😄

[Hidden]

In order to answer the question we really need to know the result of blood tests that reveal your B12, ferritin, folate and Vit D. As we tend to have malabsorption issues and gut problems (low stomach acid, gluten sensitivities, etc) these nutrient levels act as a sort of "canary-in-a-coal mine", showing up as deficient in our bloodwork. When this happens not only does it interfere with our ability to convert our dose, it also manifests as a horde of symptoms (like depression, anxiety, dizziness, weakness...and the list goes on). When I started treatment I developed soul crushing depression and anxiety. Only by discovering this site and reading more about ordering the proper tests (and understanding the results) did I discover my non-existent ferritin and low Vit D levels. I am presently treating them according to recommendations found here and am already coping much better than I was even 1 month ago. Hope that is of some help!

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

hypothyroidmom.com/92-of-ha...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/b12/

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hello

That is so reassuring knowing your psychological symptoms like depression and anxiety have faded with supplements!

My results are as follows:

Ferritin (13-150) me: 48.77

Iron (6-26) me: 27

Vit D (50-200) me:96

I didn't do a b12 test because as soon as I realised it was a key supplement a month ago I started on a high dose from the Patrick Holford range. I started a vit d last week.

So I know I need to get my ferritin up but without raising my iron levels?!

I do wonder if I have candida on top of it all because since I started a 5 day super boost probiotic (400 billion bacteria!) my anxiety has worsened, so been googling 'die-back' symptoms.

Also debating whether to take a thyroid glandular I saw on Swansons vitamin site??

It's tricky when you are trying to figure it all out on your own.

Thanks for your support ☺️

[LizT10]

Yes anxiety is definitely something that is made worse by a thyroid problem. I can feel it coming on but it is hard to control. I am currently on no medication so the situation is bad but am off to see a new endocrinologist tomorrow so am hoping for some help.

Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to LizT10]

To be honest finding out that my horrible anxiety is to do with my thyroid and not my head of that makes sense, has made me feel slightly better, I suppose because I feel like I have a chance of getting rid of it now. Do update us on what the endo says if you feel you can, I haven't even shown my gp my blood results yet!

[silverfox7]

What are you thyroid results and how long have you been taking them? If you are very new to this you may not be on the dose right for you yet so can you tell us more about that please as it would greatly help with comments. Always rememember to put ranges with any results as they differe from lab to lab.

[Hidden in reply to silverfox7]

Hi, I've been supplementing for about 4 weeks, so early days my results are:

TSH (1.8-3) me: 1.55

FT4 (1-1.5) me: 1.18

FT3 (3-4) me:1.15

T4 (6-12) me: 7.1

T3 (100-180) me: 104

RT3 (90-350) me: 195.3

Peroxidase (4 or less) me: 15.5

Thyroglobulin (4 or less) me: 10

In addition to this I am low in ferritin but high in iron (??)

I supplement b12 and d.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Your Free T3 is still nowhere near the upper half of the range - and TSH should be closer to 1 or even less. I haven't seen what your dosage is but this would indicate you need an increase, as well as those supplements. Thanks to SlowDragon for asking for your thyroid results too! 👍

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi thanks - I know I was shocked when I saw my FT3, not suprised I feel so tired and dizzy. I don't have any medication, just supplement so far. I've only just found all this out about myself.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You should take your lab epresults to your GP and demand a full NHS lab with TPO antibodies - get yourself a definitive diagnosis of hypo/Hashimotos so that you can at least start on Levo. If you don't want synthetic Levo then order NDT (natural Dessicated Thyroid) by requesting sources here in a new post.

A link worth reading

stopthethyroidmadness.com/n...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much - I just made a docs appointment for next Tuesday, and I already ordered some ndt. Just want to start feeling normal again 😕

[Hidden]

It's awful isn't it. I am hoping if I keep sticking to my new diet and supplement changes then the anxiety will lift. Nothing else has working, but then I was treating it as a mental health issue so none of those things were ever going to work if it's coming from my thyroid. You are not alone 😄

[TimD250172]

I started suffering from Anxiety 3 months after starting Levo. I am taking Vitamin supplements when I remember but am still low on B and Folate. I can still feel anxious from time to time but have learnt to overcome it by concentrating on my breathing.

Needless to say I never had the issue before being diagnosed so pretty sure there's a link.

[Hidden in reply to TimD250172]

There's definitely link then isn't there!! So glad I stumbled upon it or I would still be booking in with expensive hypnotherapists to try get rid of anxious feelings!

[silverfox7]

It takes 5-6 weeks to get the dose fully into your system so you should be retested after 6 weeks and if your results confirm you are not optimal given a raise of 25 mcg and the cycle repeated until you are optimal. There isn't a quick fix I'm aftraid and patience is needed. If you try to speed it up dont! You could end up having to start again as so taking even longer. Get a print out at each test and the ranges and members can comment.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

I had underlying mild anxiety before being diagnosed with Hashimoto's, but it got worse after starting Levo. This continued for over 20 years until I found this site, read up on the connection between Hashimoto's, low vitamins and gut & gluten.

Improving low vitamin D and low magnesium helped

But then decided to try gluten free diet. A transformation, that ever present background anxiety just completely disappeared

Couple of articles about this

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

hypothyroidmom.com/12-shock...

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much for this!! I went gluten free 2 weeks ago and must say I feel distinctly different! I think where I have gone back a few steps is starting a 5 day max probiotic powder 3 days ago (400 billion per scoop) and it has made me feel AWFUL!! I guess some people would say it was because maybe it was getting rid of candida or something, but my poor head can't take the anxiety coming back so I have stopped it today! It can stay in the fridge for now! You have really motivated me to keep up with the no gluten- thank you so much 😊

[Daffers123]

yes me ! I suffered dreadful anxiety and panic attacks - and am pleased to report that when my thyroid hormones levels were corrected, the anxiety calmed right down. it's not an easy balance to get - I was originally underactive thyroid. then due to too much hormone, I flipped to overactive -again anxiety etc.

the help and advice on this forum is invaluable. y

[Hidden in reply to Daffers123]

Oh thanks for this it gives me so much hope x

[samaja]

Apart from having or not levothyroxine (in my case does not do much for me as I am a poor converter so I am mostly getting by without it) addressing all vitamin and mineral deficiencies is certainly recommended but what helped me most with anxiety and depression was high quality fish oil. I was taking Igennus Mindcare Balance (Omega 3 and also combines B, C, D and E vits, selenium, zinc etc) which certainly did the job. The next step was also balancing my other hormones due to menopause but I now believe that I might have had undiagnosed problems with them for a long time (as they are also connected with thyroid and Hashi's and the whole HPA axis) which also influenced my mood as I am seeing a very clear connection between my BHRT and my dramatic mood improvement. Apart from that I can only recommend the usual stuff like diet, avoiding stress and taking up some relaxation techniques like mindfulness, yoga and tapping which all have helped to a degree